Adhesive or pressure sensitive tape is conventionally provided in roll form. A removable backing strip is also commonly utilized for protecting an adhesive surface on the tape, particularly where the tape is provided with adhesive films on both surfaces thereof, commonly referred to as double-stick tape, since one of these surfaces is covered by a removable backing strip to permit the tape to be stored in roll form. Such double-stick tape is well known and extensively utilized.
To permit handling and dispensing of such double-stick tape, various dispensing devices have been proposed which employ a support roller on which the tape roll is mounted, and which also employ a takeup roller on which the backing strip is wound during dispensing of the tape. These known dispensers, however, have normally been structurally complex, and in addition have been undesirably bulky and space consuming. Further, these known dispensers have not permitted the backing strip to be efficiently and automatically removed from the adhesive surface of the tape during the dispensing operation, with the backing strip itself being automatically rewound onto a takeup roller for disposal.
In addition, the known tape dispensers of this general type have been relatively expensive to construct, have been more difficult to load with tape and manipulate, and have not possessed the portability, lightweight and durability required under many of the working conditions where dispensers of this type would otherwise be widely utilized.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved dispenser for use with a roll of adhesive tape, and in particular a roll of adhesive tape provided with a removable backing strip, which apparatus permits the efficient dispensing of the adhesive tape while simultaneously effecting removal of the backing strip and winding thereof on a takeup roller.
Another object is to provide an improved dispenser, as aforesaid, which includes both a rotatable support roller for the tape spool and a rotatable takeup roller for the backing strip, which rollers are simultaneously driven by an intermediate drive structure in response to the manual removal of tape from the tape spool, and which drive structure includes means permitting slippage of one of the rollers during winding of the backing strip on the takeup roller to compensate for variations caused by the different and varying diameters of the support and takeup rollers during the dispensing operation.
A further object is to provide an improved dispenser, as aforesaid, which can be manufactured inexpensively, is extremely durable in operation, is lightweight and portable so as to be readily moved about for use where desired, is durable in operation, and can be easily and efficiently serviced and reloaded with tape when necessary.
Other objects and purposes of the invention will be apparent to persons familiar with dispensers of this general type upon reading the following specification and inspecting the accompanying drawings.